Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is intrigued by the possibility of batting McCutchen second in the lineup. "On the upside, it gets him to the plate 20, 30 more times per season," Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "He hasn't driven in 100 runs in the third spot. Does this alignment help?"

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The center fielder, who has hit homers in consecutive games, is in favor of the idea if it means he comes to the plate more frequently with runners on base. "There were a lot of times I went to the plate like, 'Dang, two outs again?'" McCutchen noted. He had more at-bats with two outs and nobody on base more than any other Pirate, coming to the plate 158 times in that situation -- Gregory Polanco (83) ranked a distant second on the team. Perhaps more importantly, McCutchen says he's healthy after battling a knee injury in 2015. "I've got my power back. Got my legs back," he said. "It's just about using them now."